Broken Code
by Phillipe363
Summary: Batman's life has a tragic history of alleyways and The Joker. And on a certain rainy, dark night another life changing moment is about to happen when Batman is finally fed up with The Joker, but his code means he can't ever kill. Only tonight that may all change when Batman's following actions will shock his family and the Justice League.


**Hey guys**

 **So, this is an idea I had for a while just floating around and decided to finally write this story out.**

 **Giving a fair warning to all the Batman fans or unwavering believers in heroes not ever killing who might get easily triggered when reading this.**

 **I don't own Batman, or anything related to DC.**

* * *

During the night in Gotham City while in a back alleyway

Pouring down rain, as The Joker dashes though the puddles only to find himself at a large gate, which would be impossible to climb and effectively a dead end.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me" Joker said, pulling out a revolver with an extended barrel.

Turning around The Joker raises up his gun, only to get it knocked out of his hands by a batarang, which both fall harmlessly to the floor. Batman drops from a fire escape nearby, landing on his feet.

Raising up his arms "I guess it's time to take me back to the nuthouse. See you around next week" Joker said a maniac grin.

"Not this time. You've killed your last tonight" Batman said in a growl while walking forward.

"Really?" The Joker asked, "My popping off those cops and the other morons who didn't give me my dinner is why you're finally going to do it? Wow, so after killing one of your Robins, though I heard he's back, and paralyzing Jim's brat among all the other grave yards I have named after me? I doubt it Bats."

"I let you live for too long" Batman replied walking forward.

"Sure, big talk bats. Only we all know at the end of the day, you wouldn't kill a child rapist to prevent it from happening again, if it meant having to break your little rule. Besides, you don't want to become me, isn't that what you've always said?" Joker asked with a grin.

"It's a convenient excuse I've let myself believe but the truth, your responsible for your own actions. Killing you isn't going to turn me into you, you're just a sick freak who always lived on a bad day" Batman said.

"Oh please, you need me darky but it's cute to think you would actually break your rule for little old me, I'm touched" the Joker replied with a maniac laughter.

Getting close Bruce sees The Joker pull out a knife and goes to stab him, but Batman twists the Joker's wrist disarming him of the knife. Not an accident Bruce plunges the knife into the Joker's chest hitting something vital as blood flows out of his chest wound.

"I thought you had a rule" The Joker said, stumbling back coughing up blood before falling to the ground and breathing his last breath.

Batman looks down at the Joker's lifeless body and feels a piece of his soul gone into blackness, for taking a life. Thinking over the maniac's last words of having a code, well he's not in this business to protect rules. He serves justice and sometimes, that means his own rules must be broken.

As the water continues to poor down the Dark Knight walks out of the alleyway and off into the night.

* * *

Naturally the death of the Joker, spread quickly like wildfire though not just Gotham City, but the world. Of course, there were those who believed the Joker would one day come back given he's died before repeatedly.

The fellow members of the Justice League were shocked at the Bruce's actions since a witness looking down from an apartment window, saw the whole thing and told the first news channel he could find. That was a mistake though since Harley Quinn on her murdering revenge spree, killed the witness on live television.

Some members of the Justice League like Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, and others wanted to lock Batman up in prison for killing. Others like Green Arrow or Wonder Woman, understood why Bruce killed the Joker and did their best to help the Dark Knight.

Bruce reassured the members of the Justice League who had issue with his actions, he wasn't going to turn into a serial killer.

For the Bat family it was Dick, Barbara and Tim most upset at Bruce, with even Tim cutting ties for a while saying he felt Bruce betrayed everything he was taught. Jason and Damien naturally agreed with Bruce's course of actions.

Alfred was just concerned that Bruce wouldn't fall further into darkness but being a former member MI6 understood the reasons behind Bruce's actions. Jim Gordon gave Batman a word of cation to not go off the deep end but, was happy The Joker was dead and hoped it lasted.

Which for Batman himself, his methods didn't really change, and he still tried to save everybody if possible. Some people even began to wonder if Batman did kill the Joker.

Naturally Bruce's more lethal actions made Ras al Ghul even more interested in Bruce becoming his Heir which naturally Batman refused and in a vicious fight killed Ras. Though Ras didn't exactly stay dead for long and eventually came back.

Also, something that did annoyed both Jason and Damien is Bruce still was strict with them to avoid killing if they could and his actions were not to go ahead for executing every single criminal they dealt with.

However, there were times where a serial killer, human trafficker, hostage takers, rapists, and other similar criminal types ended up dead usually in self-defense at Batman's hands for either himself or in defense of a team member or an innocent person.

Some of the villains from Arkham like Victor Zsasz, Scarecrow or some other threats who kept proving they never would be redeemed ended up dealt with for good.

As the years went on, it became very clear that Batman's morals kept him from becoming any kind of villainess monster. He is simply like a solider in war or a police officer who understood sometimes killing is needed.

For The Joker well Jim Gordon and Batman personally over saw the cremation of the body and the insane clown has so far never returned.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this**

 **Originally this started out as me wanting to write a fic where The Joker finally gets dealt with instead of repeatedly thrown back in jail only to escape to kill and destroy more innocent people.**

 **Yeah, I know classically Batman doesn't ever kill or use guns for a few reasons and that's very well-known golden rule.**

 **Of course, besides the films that keep butchering Batman's rule according to some people. Is that correct though? No, they are using an aspect of Batman that does have inspiration from the comics.**

 **So now I'm going explain where these heroes don't kill thing came from that's traditionally used with nearly all of them.**

 **Originally when all these heroes at DC first showed up years ago, the ones like Batman, Superman, Hawkman, and I'm sure others killed villains every now and again.**

 **However, as we get into the 1940's and especially the 1950's when the Comics Code came about things changed. Simply put there was people in charge of DC and Marvel that didn't like heroes killing because they were worried it sets a bad example for the kids and the parents wouldn't buy the comics.**

 **For example in Batman's case Bill Finger talked about how "I was called on the carpet by Whit Ellsworth. (...) The editors thought that making Batman a murderer would taint his character, and mothers would object to letting their kids see and read about shootings. The new editorial policy was to get away from Batman's vigilantism and to bring him over to the side of the law. We made him an honorary member of the police force."**

 **Now as the years went on Bruce began sparingly killing again in the main canon comics as starting from the 1960's into the recent years.**

 **Though Batman's no kill rule has been very firmly consistent since it came into being and is still very much in use in multiple mediums. To the obvious point of Batman killing is considered out of character.**

 **Really the only time Batman hasn't ever killed is been in the cartoons and the Joel Schumacher film or films, depending on how you consider Two Face's death in Batman Forever. Oh, the Adam West stuff as well.**

 **Usually the heroes don't kill rule is used by people who either who believe killing for any reason is always wrong and the people who merely want to keep the villains around for the next story. Sometimes though both beliefs are in use. Or in the case of the comics back in the 1940's people wanting to continue selling comics so they remove negative moral traits.**

 **From the writer perspective of what would end up happening if they did say kill off these classic villains? Either the villains come back to life repeatedly or there would have to be a new villain in every comic.**

 **Back to my story.**

 **For Bruce's thoughts of seeing The Joker's dead body over serving justice at the cost of breaking his own rules, is taken from the Batman #420 comic.**

 **In that issue Batman leaves KGB Beast trapped in the sewers to a certain death. Since otherwise some legalities would have allowed him to return to Russia and basically get off with zero charges. I made some changes to the inter-monologue obviously.**

 **With this story I wanted to do is possibly show how you can still have say for example, a Batman who can kill only when needed without losing the core traits of what makes him Batman.**

 **Something I've heard more than once by multiple people is apperntly impossible to pull off.**

 **Until next time**


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